I purchased a case of the 2001 Beringer Private Reserve last week for $113 per bottle and wanted to try a bottle at dinner last night. I ask the server to bring a decanter and thought it would probably be okay after an hour in the decanter.

A beautiful opaque black/purple liquid poured from the bottle. I was sure this was going to be a thick, rich, lush wine of outstanding quality with dark fruits, minerals, and spices, but what I found was a muted wine that was closed!

The 2001 Beringer Private Reserve has all of the necessary ingredients for an outstanding wine, including a wealth of fruit, color, balance, concentration, and acidity, and it will probably mature into a 95 pointer.

However, for now, I suggest you keep it in the bottle till 2011+. For those who can't wait, I would suggest you consider a double decanting followed by penlty of decanter time. However, this is not a wine that is overly tannic, it is just closed, and I think your best option is to let it mature in the bottle.

Great note, latour67. I still think that the best Napa 2001s are too young. It was a vintage that, in large part, produced wines meant to age more than most, IMO.